Faridah N Kulumba
Africa-Press – Uganda. The President of Uganda H.E Yoweri Kaguta Museveni last week traveled to Russia to attend the Russia-Africa Economic and Humanitarian Forum.
The two days summit, now in its second edition, took place on Thursday 27th, and Friday 28th July 2023 in Saint Petersburg. On Thursday evening President Museveni held bilateral talks with his Russian counterpart Vladimir Putin.
During the discussion between the two leaders, President Museveni outlined areas of cooperation with Russia that include the exploration of oil, nuclear power energy, fertilizers, the Pathogenic economy, electric batteries, and Space Science that would enable the East African country to have its own dedicated satellite.
President Museveni also used this opportunity to propose to the Russian President to discourage the West’s policy of importing raw materials from Africa but instead work with African governments to add value to products at source as this would transform the economies of the continent in a very short time from the low middle income to high-income status.
Assurance
President Putin gave assurance to Uganda that the country his leading is committed to strengthening cooperation with Africa in economic, political, security, trade, and humanitarian areas.
Mr. Putin said that Uganda remains one of Russia’s key partners and allies on the African continent with a diplomatic relationship that stretches over 6 decades.
President Putin stressed that the good relationship between Russia and Uganda has seen trade cooperation increase by 5 times in the last 6 months compared to last year.
The Russian government promised to double the education scholarships to Ugandan students and will set up two modern laboratories that diagnose many diseases including epidemic ones.
The Russian leader also said that he was happy that the government of Uganda and his country have close positions in the international arena that he said is based on the commitment to shaping a just world that is accommodative to everyone and expressed happiness that Uganda was to chair the non-allied movement.
Uganda-Russia relations
Uganda enjoys warm bilateral relations with Moscow, bolstered by President Museveni’s East-West balancing act. In May last year, Uganda was among the 17 African countries out of 193 that voted to abstain—remain neutral—during the UN General Assembly’s emergency session convened to call for an immediate cessation of violence and withdrawal of the Russian military from Ukraine.
In October 1952, Uganda and the Soviet Union established diplomatic relations. In 1954, the two nations signed a trade agreement on economic and technical cooperation, which provided a loan of 14 million rubles to Uganda.
Russian officers regularly assist Uganda to maintain military equipment and authorities recently gave a contract to a Russian firm that will install tracking devices in military vehicles to combat violent crime.
In July 2022, Russia’s Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov arrived in Uganda on an official visit. President Museveni defended Lavrov’s visit to Uganda by saying that Russia has had good relations with Uganda for the last 100 years, and therefore, Uganda can never take a position against Russia.
According to President Museveni Uganda wants to make its own enemies not fight other people’s enemies. Museveni said his country does not believe in being enemies with enemies of any country.
Last year the two countries agreed to cooperate in a range of fields including space, energy, agriculture, vaccines, mining, research and education, geological exploration, cyber, and telecommunications. And they also discussed projects related to cooperation in using nuclear technology.
The governments of Uganda and Russia also reached an agreement to consider the creation of a laboratory with the help of Russian specialists to jointly study matters of prevention and control of epidemiological diseases.
Oil exploration
President Musevein’s visit to Russia comes at a time Uganda is trying to put up a 60,000 barrels-per-day refinery plant in the western district of Hoima in readiness for oil production planned to begin in 2025.
Uganda’s Foreign Affairs Minister Henry Okello-Oryem while speaking about President Museveni’s visit to Russia said Mr. Museveni was seeking to strengthen relations between both nations in the areas of oil, fertilizer access, and trade and investment.
On 9th October, President Museveni expressed readiness to work with other progressive forces in Western Europe to avoid the emerging frustration from the European Union which is opposed to Uganda’s oil industry.
He added that the East Africans should not worry about the European Union Parliament which decreed from Brussels that the East African Crude Oil Pipeline (EACOP) should not be constructed until those arrogant EU actors permitted the oil and gas project to go on.
Terming the EU resolution as “yet another manifestation of imperialistic arrogance and hegemony, President Museveni assured that Uganda is willing to seek out other partners to ensure that the EACOP project starts as scheduled.
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